The Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack eBook

I don’t know as even this would have overcome
Mrs. Quack’s fears if it hadn’t been for
the taste of that good corn in her mouth, and her
empty stomach. She couldn’t, she just couldn’t
resist these, and presently she was back among the
rushes, hunting out the corn and wheat as fast as
ever she could. When at last she could eat no
more, she felt so comfortable that somehow the Smiling
Pool didn’t seem such a dangerous place after
all, and she quite forgot Farmer Brown’s boy.
She found a snug hiding-place among the rushes too
far out from the bank for Reddy Fox to surprise her,
and then with a sleepy “Good night” to
Jerry and Peter, she tucked her head under her wing
and soon was fast asleep.

Peter Rabbit tiptoed away, and then he hurried lipperty-lipperty-lip
to the dear Old Briar-patch to tell Mrs. Peter all
about Mrs. Quack.

IX

PETER RABBIT MAKES AN EARLY CALL

Peter Rabbit was so full of interest in Mrs. Quack
and her troubles that he was back at the Smiling Pool
before Mr. Sun had kicked off his rosy blankets and
begun his daily climb up in the blue, blue sky.
You see, he felt that he had heard only a part of Mrs.
Quack’s story, and he was dreadfully afraid
that she would get away before he could hear the rest.
With the first bit of daylight, Mrs. Quack swam out
from her hiding-place among the brown rushes.
It looked to Peter as if she sat up on the end of
her tail as she stretched her neck and wings just
as far as she could, and he wanted to laugh right
out. Then she quickly ducked her head under water
two or three times so that the water rolled down over
her back, and again Peter wanted to laugh. But
he didn’t. He kept perfectly still.
Mrs. Quack shook herself and then began to carefully
dress her feathers. That is, she carefully put
back in place every feather that had been rumpled
up. She took a great deal of time for this, for
Mrs. Quack is very neat and tidy and takes the greatest
pride in looking as fine as she can.

Of course it was very impolite of Peter to watch her
make her toilet, but he didn’t think of that.
He didn’t mean to be impolite. And then
it was so interesting. “Huh!” said
he to himself, “I don’t see what any one
wants to waste so much time on their clothes for.”

You know Peter doesn’t waste any time on his
clothes. In fact, he doesn’t seem to care
a bit how he looks. He hasn’t learned yet
that it always pays to be as neat and clean as possible
and that you must think well of yourself if you want
others to think well of you.

When at last Mrs. Quack had taken a final shower bath
and appeared satisfied that she was looking her best,
Peter opened his mouth to ask her the questions he
was so full of, but closed it again as he remembered
people are usually better natured when their stomachs
are full, and Mrs. Quack had not yet breakfasted.
So he waited as patiently as he could, which wasn’t
patiently at all. At last Mrs. Quack finished
her breakfast, and then she had to make her toilet
all over again. Finally Peter hopped to the edge
of the bank where she would see him.